Department for Transport

Biofuels

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's consultation on Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, published in September 2017, for what reasons the cap on bio-fuels will be reduced from 4 per cent to 2 per cent.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's consultation on Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, published in September 2017, what comparative assessment he has made of the competitiveness of 2 per cent crop cap in the UK with a 7 per cent crop cap in EU countries.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation, what processes are in place to allow for the amending of the crop cap after its planned promulgation.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's consultation on Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, published in September 2017, if he will make an assessment of the efficacy of the crop cap two years after the changes to that cap are implemented.

Jesse Norman: The Government consulted on a range of options for limiting the contribution from crop based biofuels towards the renewable fuel target for transport, from zero to the maximum seven per cent allowed under EU Directive 2015/1513. The consultation and the Government response are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewable-transport-fuel-obligations-order-government-response and include analysis of the costs and benefits of the proposals, including the impacts on the competitiveness of UK industry through an estimate of the gross value added to the UK economy by the biofuels industry under the proposed amendments. We intend to cap the contribution from crop-based biofuels at four per cent in 2018, reducing to three per cent in 2026 and two per cent in 2032. Reducing the contribution from crop-based biofuels in this way will signal that we want to see future investment focus on the most sustainable fuels made from wastes and residues, while ensuring a continuing market for the UK’s existing bioethanol producers. According to research published by the European Commission in 2015, titled “The land use change impact of biofuels consumed in the EU, Quantification of area and greenhouse gas impacts”, crop biofuel usage at 7% of transport energy could result in a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Subject to Parliamentary approval, the legislation providing for these changes to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) will provide for a review to ensure the policy aims are being met. If required after the review further amendments could then be proposed.

Railways: Greater Manchester

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2017 to Question 114759, on railways: Greater Manchester, how Leigh will benefit from improved rail connectivity in the Greater Manchester area.

Paul Maynard: Leigh will benefit from the improvements to be delivered to services at its nearest rail stations including Atherton, which will see an increase in the level of weekday train service to four trains per hour using newly refurbished trains.

Public Transport: Disability

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the response to his Department’s consultation on the draft transport accessibility action plan.

Paul Maynard: We plan to publish the Government response in early 2018, following careful analysis of the responses received to the consultation which closed on Wednesday 22 November.

Department for Transport: Brexit

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the additional funding required by his Department over the next two years to prepare effectively for the UK leaving the EU.

Mr John Hayes: As announced at Autumn Budget 2017, HMT is making £3 billion of additional funding available over the next two years - £1.5 billion in both 18/19 and 19/20 – so that departments and the Devolved Administrations can continue to prepare effectively for Brexit. We are currently working with HMT and DExEU to establish what we need to prepare effectively, and what additional funding should be supplied – HM Treasury will aim to agree 2018/19 allocations in early 2018. Funding requirements for 19/20 will be affected by progress in negotiations with the EU and will therefore be decided at a later date. Additional funding received from the Reserve will be set out at Supplementary Estimates in the usual way.

Driving Tests

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the new Approved Driving Instructor Part 3 Test will be introduced.

Jesse Norman: The regulations were laid before Parliament on 1 December 2017. The Approved Driving Instructor Part 3 test will be implemented from 23 December 2017.

Aviation

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria control the number of night flights arriving at and departing from airports, and, with reference to the Civil Aviation Authority's recent assessment of Edinburgh Airport's proposed new flight path, whether that Airport has reached capacity for night flights.

Mr John Hayes: Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports are designated for the purpose of noise regulation under the Civil Aviation Act 1982. The Government sets night flight restrictions at these airports through a noise quota and a movement limit.For all other UK airports, operating restrictions such as on night flights are agreed at the local level, usually through the planning process. With regard to the assessment of Edinburgh Airport’s proposed new flight paths by the Civil Aviation Authority, this assessment related to airspace changes and not the capacity of the airport at night.

Cycling: Safety

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to commence the second phase of the review of cycle safety announced on 21 September, into wider road safety issues.

Jesse Norman: The Department expects to publish a Call for Evidence early in 2018. Preliminary discussions regarding Phase Two have already started.

Tonnage Tax

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2017 to Question 113639, on shipping: ownership, how many of the vessels on each of the three routes in the table are in company groups which qualify for the Tonnage Tax scheme.

Mr John Hayes: It is not possible to identify which companies qualify for the Tonnage Tax scheme from the information held by the department. For example, information on whether a company operates ships which are strategically and commercially managed in the UK, which is a requirement to be a qualifying company for the Tonnage Tax scheme, is not held for companies not currently part of the scheme.

Shipping: Ownership

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2017 to Question 113639, on shipping: ownership, how many of the vessels on each of the three routes in the table are registered on (a) the UK Ship Register, (b) a Red Ensign Group register, (c) EEA register or (d) non-EEA register.

Mr John Hayes: Figures for the number of vessels operating on each route in 2016 by registration are shown in the table. Register UK Ship RegisterAnother Red Ensign Group (REG) registerAnother EEA country register A non-EEA country and non-REG registerVessels which carried cargo between a UK port and a UK offshore oil and gas terminal or platform in 20166030110100Vessels which carried cargo on domestic routes to or from UK ports in 2016 (excluding between UK ports and UK offshore oil and gas terminals covered in 1. above)8060390360Vessels operating on domestic or international short sea passenger services to or from UK ports in 201620108010Source: Based on DfT port freight and sea passenger statistics, and IHS Global fleet data.Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 vessels. A single vessel may operate on any combination of the routes shown. Registration was unavailable for a small number of vessels. Figures shown here for the Red Ensign Group do not include the UK Ship Register, which is shown separately in the table.

Railway Stations: Golborne

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) feasibility, (b) cost and (c) social and economic benefit of reopening Golborne railway station.

Paul Maynard: The Department has made no such assessment at the current time regarding re-opening Golborne railway station. However, the Government is working with local authorities and other partners to identify the best new rail projects that can unlock new housing and economic growth, ease overcrowding, meet future demand and offer good value for money.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Packaging: Recycling

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and (b) representatives of the retail sector on to encourage supermarkets to make more of their packaging recyclable; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Climate Change and Industry has met with the Food and Drink Federation at a joint-Ministerial roundtable where the issue of waste was discussed. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the 2017 Autumn Budget that there will be a call for evidence on single-use plastics that will begin in the New Year that will also take into account the findings of the consultation on drinks containers. We fully expect the retail sector to respond to this.

Nuclear Power: Prices

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether proposals for Contracts for Difference for new nuclear power stations other than Hinkley Point C will count as new levies under the Control for New Carbon Levies.

Richard Harrington: The Control’s current forecast period is set to 2025. Potential new nuclear projects, after Hinkley Point C, are expected to become fully operational beyond 2025 and are therefore not affected by the commitment to no new levies up until this date. The Government will keep both the forecast period and Control under regular review. This will include considering how the Control could work after 2025.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Yemen: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence on allegations of civilian deaths during US raids in the Yemeni villages of Yakla and Al Jubah in January and May 2017.

Alistair Burt: The UK is not involved in counter-terrorism operations within Yemen. Any enquiries relating to US counter-terrorism activities should be redirected to the US authorities.

Bahrain: Trials

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterparts in the Bahraini Government on fairness of the first trial of civilians in secret military courts in Bahrain in October 2017 .

Alistair Burt: ​We have raised this issue with the Bahraini authorities. We continue to encourage Bahrain to live up to its international and domestic human rights obligations.

Kurds: Foreign Relations

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the reasons are for changing the name of the British Consulate General in the Kurdistan region to the British Consulate General Erbil on his Department's Facebook page; and what his policy is on UK relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Alistair Burt: ​The British Consulate General in Erbil has not changed its name. Its Facebook page was recently changed from a monolingual (English) to a bilingual (English and Kurdish) version. Subsequently, the Kurdish name on the site was shortened as the previous title exceeded the maximum allowed characters in Kurdish. The British Consulate General in Erbil has informed local media and officials of the change. The British Government continues to support the security, stability and prosperity of the Kurdistan Region within a unified Iraq.

Department for International Development

Bangladesh: Rohingya

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the effect of the allocation of UN World Food Programme rations by household on the (a) human rights and (b) welfare of refugee Rohingya women and girls in Bangladesh.

Alistair Burt: Our assessment of UN World Food Programme rations in Bangladesh is that they provide essential life-saving support to refugee households. Women, girls and other vulnerable groups are given priority at food distribution sites and are assisted with porters to carry heavy food rations home. Larger families receive larger family ration sizes. WFP also runs an e-voucher programme which is registered in women’s names. Vulnerable women and girls also benefit from nutritional supplements and women-friendly spaces at distribution points.

Department for Education

Supply Teachers

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing the Local Educational Authority supply pool for schools in England.

Nick Gibb: The Department is committed to ensuring schools are able to employ good quality supply teachers at value for money when needed. Local Authority supply pools are one of many approaches to providing supply teachers.

Supply Teachers

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will bring forward legislation to ban finders fees being imposed by teaching supply agencies where a school seeks to appoint on a permanent basis a supply teacher originally provided by those agencies.

Nick Gibb: The Department is aware of concerns raised regarding the level of fees charged by some agencies when offering a supply teacher permanent employment. Whilst there are no immediate plans to legislate in this area, the Department is working with Crown Commercial Service to develop a new commercial framework for schools aimed at bringing consistency and transparency of cost to this area. The new arrangement will address inconsistent practices of some agencies and the levels of mark-up charged as well as the issue of finders’ fees. It is anticipated that the new commercial deal will be available for use by schools from September 2018.

Supply Teachers

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will bring forward proposals regulate teaching supply agencies and cap costs charged for the provision of supply teachers.

Nick Gibb: The Department is aware of concerns raised regarding the behaviour of some agencies when dealing with schools as well as the level of costs charged. Whilst there are no immediate plans to legislate in this area, the Department is working with Crown Commercial Service to develop a new commercial framework for schools aimed at bringing consistency and transparency of cost to this area. The new arrangement will address inconsistent practices of some agencies and the levels of mark-up charged as well as the level of fees charged. It is anticipated that the new commercial deal will be available for use by schools from September 2018.

Schools: Standards

Alan Mak: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in England (a) are in schools rated good or outstanding and (b) were in such schools in 2010.

Alan Mak: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children in England (a) are in schools rated good or outstanding and (b) were in such schools in 2010.

Nick Gibb: On 30 November 2017, Ofsted released their latest inspection data as at 31 August 2017, reporting there were 6,768,836 children in England in Good or Outstanding schools. The proportion of children in England in Good or Outstanding schools as at 31 August 2017, is 87%. The latest Ofsted First Release publication can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/maintained-schools-and-academies-inspections-and-outcomes-as-at-31-august-2017.  Official statistics released by Ofsted showed there were 4,855,336 children in England in Good or Outstanding schools as at 31 August, 2010. The proportion of children in England in Good or Outstanding schools as at 31 August 2010, was 66%. See Ofsted’s Dataview site for details.https://public.tableau.com/profile/ofsted#!/vizhome/Dataview/Viewregionalperformanceovertime.

Schools: Standards

Alan Mak: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of schools in England (a) are rated good or outstanding and (b) were so rated in 2010.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to you and a copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

Faith Schools: Admissions

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will remove the 50 per cent faith admissions cap.

Anne Milton: The proposal to remove the 50% cap on faith admissions in faith free schools is set out in the ‘Schools that work for everyone’ consultation document. The department plans to respond on this in due course.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Sentences: Wales

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Welsh women have been sentenced to prison in the last 12 months.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of Welsh women sentenced to prison per month is.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Ministry of Justice does not collect information on which country within the United Kingdom British citizens identify with. However, the number of female offenders sentenced to custody at all courts in Wales, in 2016, by month, can be viewed in the table below. Due to this, we cannot separately identify which of these women identify as Welsh. Female offenders sentenced to immediate custody at all courts, Wales, 2016, by month (1)(2) SentencedOf which immediate custodyJanuary2,16747February2,34447March2,52252April2,34453May2,29548June2,57450July1,98363August2,57753September2,37765October1,99653November2,28951December1,75341Total27,201623(1) The sentence shown is the most severe sentence given for the principal offence (i.e. the principal sentence), secondary sentences given for the principal offence and sentences for non-principal offences are not counted in the tables.(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. We are committed to doing all we can to address the issues around female offending so we can better protect the public and deliver more effective rehabilitation. We also are developing a strategy for female offenders, in England and Wales, to improve outcomes for women in the community and custody.

Ministry of Defence

Ukraine: Military Aid

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consideration his Department has given to supplying the Government of Ukraine with non-lethal military equipment, which is no longer in operational use but good working order.

Gavin Williamson: Holding answer received on 06 December 2017



In 2016 surplus equipment was supplied to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in addition to other, purchased items.More recently, when President Poroshenko visited the UK in April 2017, he presented the Prime Minister with a list of Ukrainian equipment requirements, seeking UK assistance where possible. In light of this request, the head of the Defence Equipment Sales Authority, visited Ukraine to clarify Ukrainian requirements and establish the most appropriate UK surplus assets.A Ukrainian delegation visited the UK from 28 November to 1 December and reviewed a range of land and maritime equipment. The Ukrainians are now considering their options.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether has had discussions with the US Defence Secretary on allegations of civilian deaths during US raids in the Yemeni villages of Yakla and Al Jubah in January and May 2017.

Gavin Williamson: Holding answer received on 07 December 2017



The UK is not involved in counter-terror operations in Yemen. US counter-terror activities are a matter for US authorities.

Ukraine: Military Aid

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse has been of non-lethal equipment supplied by the Government to Ukrainian armed forces in the last two years.

Gavin Williamson: Holding answer received on 07 December 2017



Over the last two years, the total cost of equipment supplied by Her Majesty's Government to the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) was £2.2 million.This has been a mix of purchased items and surplus equipment; the intention to gift the latter was laid before the House in 2015 and 2016. These items reflected the urgent and life saving nature of our support at the time and were in direct response to requests made by the Ukrainian authorities.We remain committed to our support for Ukraine, including British Army training aimed at improving defensive capabilities as the UAF continue to meet the challenges of ongoing aggression from Russian-backed separatist forces.

Defence: Finance

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much of the budget within (a) Navy Command, (b) Army Command, (c) Air Command, (d) Joint Forces Command, (e) DG Nuclear, (f) Defence Infrastructure Organisation, (g) Head Office and (h) Corporate Services have been subject to virement in the last financial year; and what the value was of those transferred budgets.

Gavin Williamson: Holding answer received on 07 December 2017



The entities referred in the hon. Member's question are not sections or sub-heads in the Ministry of Defence's Estimates and are not therefore subject to the virement process.

Ministry of Defence: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much time his Department spent in compiling impact assessments and other material for the sectoral analyses it provided to the Department for Exiting the European Union; how many FTE staff hours were dedicated to that compilation; and on what date his Department started and concluded its work on that compilation.

Mark Lancaster: The Government has provided over 800 pages of analysis to the committee. This analysis has been contained in a range of documents, developed at different times. Given how closely woven EU exit work and routine Departmental business are, it is not possible to calculate how much time was spent in compiling this material.

Ministry of Defence: Brexit

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of officials to be employed by his Department and (b) his Department's payroll in (i) 2018, (ii) 2019, (iii) 2020, (iv) 2021 and (v) 2022 as a result of the UK leaving EU.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence has a small team who have been appointed to deal with Defence issues relating to the UK's decision to leave the EU. This team draws on a wide range of colleagues from across the Ministry of Defence (MOD) who support EU exit related work, in addition to their normal duties.Given the interactions between EU exit work and the MOD's other priorities, it would not be possible to give an accurate future estimate.

Ministry of Defence: Brexit

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the additional funding required by his Department over the next two years to prepare effectively for the UK leaving the EU.

Mark Lancaster: As announced at the Autumn Budget 2017, HM Treasury is making £3 billion of additional funding available over the next two years - £1.5 billion in both 2018-19 and 2019-20 - so that Departments and the Devolved Administrations can continue to prepare effectively for Brexit.We are currently working with HM Treasury and the Department for Exiting the EU to establish what we need to prepare effectively, and what additional funding should be supplied - HM Treasury will aim to agree 2018-19 allocations in early 2018. Funding requirements for 2019-20 will be affected by progress in negotiations with the EU and will therefore be decided at a later date.Additional funding received from the Reserve will be set out at Supplementary Estimates in the usual way.

National Security

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timetable is for his receipt of final proposals from the three services on which to base his decision as to what is included within the ambit of the National Security Capability Review.

Gavin Williamson: The Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force have provided inputs into the Ministry of Defence throughout the National Security Capability Review, and will continue to do so.

Ministry of Defence: Cost Effectiveness

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the value is of efficiency savings identified to date by his Department.

Mark Lancaster: We have delivered over £5 billion of efficiency savings between 2010-16, and remain on track to deliver 90% of our £7.4 billion Spending Review 2015 efficiency target between 2016 and 2021.

Navy: Engineers

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many fully trained (a) Marine Engineers and (b) Weapons Engineers served in the Royal Navy in each of the last five years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The trained regular strength of Royal Navy Weapon Engineers and Marine Engineers, as at 1 April each year from 2012 to 2017 is given below:   201220132014201520162017Weapon EngineerOfficer669649613601568562Rating2,6432,4302,3032,2462,9793,132Marine EngineerOfficer557544521507480483Rating3,9793,7243,4103,2193,1663,289 Notes:Communication and Information Specialists (CIS) were not counted in Engineer branches until August 2015. They are therefore included in the Weapon Engineering figures for April 2016 and April 2017 but not for earlier years.The Weapon Engineer figures for April 2016 and April 2017 include 1,005 and 1,227 CIS personnel respectively.

Navy: Engineers

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) outflow (b) inflow and (c) netflow of fully trained Royal Navy (i) Marine Engineers and (ii) Weapons Engineers has been in each of the last five years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The intake and outflow for trained regular, Royal Navy Marine and Weapons Engineer officers and ratings by Financial Year (FY) from 2012-13 to 2016-17 is given in the attached table. 



116899 - Intake and outflow of RN Personnel
(Word Document, 21.05 KB)

Navy: Engineers

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many former fully trained Royal Navy (a) Marine Engineers and (b) Weapons Engineers have rejoined the (i) regular naval service (ii) reserve naval service in the last two years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The intake to trained regulars and trained Royal Naval Reserve between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2017 for personnel who were previously trained Weapon Engineers or Marine Engineers is given below:   Intake to Trained RegularsIntake to Trained Royal Naval ReserveWeapon Engineer1515Marine Engineer1010 Notes: Intake to the Royal Naval Reserve includes seamless transfers between the Regulars and the Reserves. Data only includes personnel who have outflowed from the Regular Trained Strength since 1 September 2006. Data have been rounded to the nearest 5.

Navy: Engineers

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average age of Royal Navy (a) Marine Engineers and (b) Weapons Engineers has been in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The average age of trained regular Royal Navy Weapon Engineers and Marine Engineers, as at 1 April each year from 2008 to 2017 is given below: 2008200920102011201220132014201520162017Weapon EngineerOfficer39394040404040404040Rating32313131323232313232Marine EngineerOfficer39394040403939393939Rating31313131313131313132 1. Average age provided is mean age at last birthday. 2. In 2008 one rating with an unknown specialisation has been excluded.3. Communication and Information Specialists were not counted in Engineering branches until August 2015. They are therefore included in the Weapon Engineering figures for April 2016 and April 2017 but not for earlier years.

Army: Reserve Forces

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Army Reserve total (a) inflow, (b) outflow and (c) netflow was for the (i) Infantry, (ii) Royal Artillery, (iii) Royal Corps of Signals, (iv) Army Medical Services, (v) Adjutant General's Corps, (vi) Royal Armoured Corps, (vii) Army Air Corps, (viii) Royal Engineers, (ix) Royal Logistics Corps, (x) Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and (xi) Intelligence Corps in each month in the last two years.

Mark Lancaster: The Army Reserve total inflow, outflow and netflow for the requested Capbadges is shown in the attached tables:



116908 - Army Reserve Inflow and Outflow
(Excel SpreadSheet, 19.46 KB)

Army: Reserve Forces

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Army Reserve total intake was for each month in the last two years.

Mark Lancaster: Intake into the Army reserve for each month over the last two years is show below: MonthArmy FR20 InflowOctober 2015630November 2015550December 2015270January 2016550February 2016490March 2016360April 2016400May 2016440June 2016520July 2016500August 2016390September 2016470October 2016450November 2016420December 2016270January 2017400February 2017400March 2017430April 2017350May 2017420June 2017420July 2017360August 2017390September 2017480Notes: The Army FR20 population consists of Group A Army Reserves, some Sponsored Reserves and those personnel serving on Full Time Reserve Service contracts who were previously Army Reservists. The figures include untrained & trained personnel. Figures include soldier, officer and JPA officer cadets. Inflow includes people joining from outside the UK Armed Forces and those transferring from other parts of the UK Armed Forces. Inflow includes people joining from outside the UK Armed Forces and those transferring from other parts of the UK Armed Forces. Figures have been rounded to 10 for presentational purposes; numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment: Complaints

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints have been made to his Department about Capita assessments for personal independence payments in each of the last five years.

Sarah Newton: When the Department receives a complaint regarding a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment these are passed directly to Capita to provide a response. DWP do not collect data on these cases. Capita advise that they have received the following complaints regarding PIP: 2013 - 16.5% of caseload; 2014 - 3.8% caseload; 2015 – 1.1% caseload; 2016 – 1.5% caseload and 2017 (to October) - 1.6% caseload. These are inclusive of those cases received by DWP and forwarded on to Capita.

Personal Independence Payment

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who previously qualified for disability living allowance have not been awarded personal independence payments following assessments by Capita.

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of any difference between the proportion of personal independence payment claims that are unsuccessful following assessment by Atos and Capita.

Sarah Newton: DWP case managers make decisions on all claims based on the PIP2 questionnaire completed by the claimant, any additional evidence they have submitted, the report from the assessment provider and any additional information the assessment provider has requested, for example information from the claimant’s GP. The table below shows the number of claimants who have undergone a Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) reassessment with our assessment providers, IAS and Capita. We previously answered this question for IAS under PQ 109416. Table 1: Outcomes of DLA to PIP reassessments after assessment by Assessment Provider to 31st July 2017 Disallowed After AssessmentAwardedTotalDisallowance RateIAS (Atos)125,680523,800649,48019%Capita64,280198,220262,50024%Total189,960722,020911,98021% The figures are the outcome of the first DWP decision on each DLA to PIP reassessment claim assessed under Normal Rules only, prior to any reconsideration, appeal action and award review, after the claimant underwent an assessment by IAS or Capita. Figures include decisions made between 8th April 2013 and 31st July 2017 as recorded on Department systems. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 and are for Great Britain only. The Department is committed to ensuring PIP claimants receive a high quality functional assessment. We continue to work closely to ensure a consistent approach is being taken across the country. We closely monitor assessment providers to make sure that the quality of the service, that the nurses, physiotherapists and other health professionals who carry out the assessments provide, is as high as it should be. We are continually working with the assessment providers to further improve the quality of assessments, including clinical coaching, feedback and support available to each assessor. The Department has put in place an independent audit of assessments to ensure that the advice provided to the Department's decision makers is of suitable quality, fully explained and justified. In addition, there are other safeguards in place to ensure correct decisions are made, such as DWP decision makers being able to ask the provider for clarification or advice or returning the report to the provider if they believe that it does not provide sufficient information for them to make a decision.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Slaughterhouses: Animal Welfare

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will launch an investigation into the variation in rates of animal welfare between (a) non-stun halal and (b) other abattoirs.

George Eustice: Official veterinarians (OVs) from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are present in all approved slaughterhouses in England and take a prompt, proportionate and risk based approach to enforcement action when animal welfare breaches are identified.The government is introducing mandatory CCTV recording in slaughterhouses which will further enable OVs to monitor and verify animal welfare standards in the slaughterhouse.The Government would prefer all animals to be stunned before slaughter but respects the rights of Jewish and Muslim communities to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs. We are aware of the audit data suggesting a variation between non-stun and stun slaughterhouses and are investigating this with FSA.

Environmental Health

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that environmental health standards in the United Kingdom are maintained after the UK’s departure from the EU.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to work with environmental health professionals to ensure that new environmental health standards are formulated and implemented when the UK leaves the EU.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of  the adequacy of EU environmental health standards, and what plans he has to implement higher environmental health standards in the UK when the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We are committed to delivering a Green Brexit and to enhancing our environmental standards. The European Union (Withdrawal Bill) will make sure that the whole body of existing EU environmental law continues to have effect in UK law, providing businesses and stakeholders with maximum certainty as we leave the EU. We will also continue to uphold our international obligations through our multilateral environmental agreements. On 12 November the Secretary of State set out plans to consult on a new, independent and statutory body to hold government and potentially public authorities to account on environmental commitments once we have left the European Union. We are also proposing to consult on the creation of a new policy statement on environmental principles to apply after we leave the EU. This statement will underpin future policy-making.

Wildlife: Crime

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment the Government has made of trends in wildlife crime; and what steps it is taking to tackle such crime.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Wildlife crime is a priority for Defra. Consequently, Defra and the Home Office have committed £300,000 a year to fund the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) until 2019/20. The NWCU helps prevent and detect wildlife crime by obtaining and disseminating intelligence, undertaking analysis which highlights local or national threats and directly assisting law enforcers in their investigations. Every two years the NWCU compiles a strategic assessment of wildlife crime in the UK. This is used to set UK wildlife crime priorities in conjunction with relevant enforcement authorities. The NWCU also compiles tactical assessments every six months to report on progress in tackling the wildlife crime priorities and to highlight any emerging threats or possible new priorities. The reports can be found on the NWCU website and also include information on trends: http://www.nwcu.police.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/NWCU-Strategic-Assessment-2016-Not-Protectively-Marked.pdfhttp://www.nwcu.police.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/NWCU-Tactical-Assessment-May-2017-sanitised-version.pdf Defra is co-chair of the Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime, a collaboration of stakeholders who work together in partnership to reduce wildlife crime through prevention and awareness-raising, better regulation, and effective and targeted enforcement.

Seahorses: Smuggling

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many prosecutions have taken place for the illegal sale of seahorses in the last five years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Identifying the number of defendants prosecuted for the illegal sale of seahorses from those prosecuted for the illegal sale of other endangered species recorded in data held centrally by the Ministry of Justice would incur disproportionate costs.Defra does not hold any other data regarding the number of prosecutions for the illegal sales of seahorses.

Incinerators: Air Pollution

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of incinerators on (a) general air quality, (b)emissions of PM 2.5 and (c) emissions of PM 1.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: As part of the environmental permitting process for new incinerator plants, the regulator is required to make an assessment of the environmental impact of each site, and to set limit values in the environmental permit for emissions to air of a wide range of key pollutants, including PM2.5 and PM10. These atmospheric emissions are subject to a strict monitoring regime. There are no relevant environmental standards for PM1 and so no limit values are set for that parameter.

Waste Disposal: North East

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: Pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2017 to Question 115796, if he will publish the (a) name and address of the six waste transfer sites in the North East which accepted waste in 2016 and were investigated by the Environment Agency and (b) reasons for the investigation of each individual site.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The six formal complaints which the Environment Agency received in relation to waste transfer stations in the North East which accepted waste in 2016 related to three sites. All formal complaints are subject to investigation. The names and addresses of these sites, and the reasons for investigation, are as follows: Site Name and AddressReason for InvestigationNiramax Group Ltd Monument Park Off Pattinson Road Washington Tyne & Wear NE38 8QUFliesSuez Recycling and Recovery UK Ltd 304 Walker Road Byker Newcastle Upon Tyne Tyne & Wear NE6 1AHOdourGraphite Resources (DEP) Ltd Derwenthaugh Industrial Estate Derwenthaugh Road Swalwell Newcastle Upon Tyne Tyne & Wear NE16 3BQOdour

Home Office

Knives: Crime

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce knife crime

Victoria Atkins: Our work to tackle knife crime is centred on four key strands: working with the police on operations and enforcement; work on the legislative framework; to work with retailers on responsible sales of knives; and early intervention and prevention. We are encouraging police forces to undertake a series of coordinated national weeks of action to tackle knife crime under Operation Sceptre. It includes targeted stop and searches, weapon sweeps, test purchases of knives from retailers, the use of surrender bins, and educational activities. A record thirty-two police forces took part in the week of action in July. We have agreed a set of commitments with major retailers to prevent the underage sales of knives in their stores and online. The agreement also covers staff training and displays and packaging. We are keeping the legislative framework under review and we have taken action to ban zombie knives in August 2016. In addition on 14 October we launched a consultation on new legislation on offensive weapons. The proposals include placing restrictions on the online sale of knives, creating a new offence of possession of an offensive or dangerous weapon in a private place, and updating existing legislation. We have launched a community fund to support local communities to tackle knife crime. We are also supporting youth violence intervention and prevention work in hospital emergency departments including supporting the voluntary sector organisation, Redthread, undertake work in London hospitals and pilots its approach shortly in Nottingham and Birmingham.

Organised Crime

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle the (a) organised crime, (b) gang activity and (c) drug dealing across county operating across county boundaries.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office is leading a cross-Government programme of work to tackle the issue of county lines working with partners including the police and the National Crime Agency. We are taking a range of actions including: raising awareness in key sectors of the threat of county lines; legislating to enable police to shut down the mobile phone lines used to facilitate drug deals (the Drug Dealing Telecommunication Restriction Orders); supporting local and strategic reviews to strengthen resilience in areas at risk of county lines; and working with the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to take full advantage of powers in the Modern Slavery Act when making charging decisions against county line gang members. The Home Office provides support to tackle county lines in various ways; including Publication of guidance for frontline professionals on how to identify potential victims of county lines and appropriate referral routes; match funding reviews for local areas facing new gang related threats including county lines; funding a pilot support service for exploited young victims caught up in county lines drugs running between London and Kent; funding through the EGVE Local Projects Fund delivering legislation to provide police and the NCA with the power to go to court to seek closure of phone numbers involved in county lines drug dealing.

Animal Experiments: Primates

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2017 to Question 112016 on Animal Experiments: Primates,  what steps she has taken to ensure that the harm benefit test in section 5B(3)(d) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and the re-use provisions in section 14, can identify effectively a non-human primate that has previously undergone procedures.

Mr Ben  Wallace: All non-human primates used under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act (1986) (ASPA), which have previously undergone procedures, can be effectively identified through their individual history files. A file must be kept for each non-human primate as required by Standard Condition 9 of establishment licences held under ASPA. Such files will include a record of the programmes of work involving their use in regulated procedures. Section 14.1 of ASPA requires that a protected animal which has been subjected to one or more regulated procedures under the Act, must not be used for a further regulated procedure unless the Secretary of State has consented to such further use and specified conditions are met.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much time his Department spent in compiling impact assessments and other material for the sectoral analyses it provided to the Department for Exiting the European Union; how many FTE staff hours were dedicated to that compilation; and on what date his Department started and concluded its work on that compilation.

David Mundell: The Government has collated over 800 pages of analysis for the committees.As we have said before, the “58 impact assessments” requested in the motion do not exist in the form Parliament requested. We have taken time to bring together information in a way that meets Parliament’s specific ask.With regards to how many FTE staff hours were dedicated to the compilation, the Department does not hold this information in the form requested.The Department for Exiting the European Union has satisfied the motion passed in the House of Commons by bringing together information for these reports. The Committee on Exiting the EU voted on Wednesday 6 December that the Government’s response to the resolution of the House of 1 November has complied with the terms of that resolution.

HM Treasury

Treasury: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much time his Department spent in compiling impact assessments and other material for the sectoral analyses it provided to the Department for Exiting the European Union; how many FTE staff hours were dedicated to that compilation; and on what date his Department started and concluded its work on that compilation.

Stephen Barclay: As the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union has said, the sectoral analysis was produced in response to the humble Address, drawing on existing analysis undertaken since the EU referendum.With regards to how many FTE staff hours were dedicated to the compilation, the Department does not hold this information in the form requested.

Employee Ownership and Save As You Earn

James Duddridge: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the contribution limits for (a) Share Incentive Plans and (b) Save As You Earn in line with inflation.

Mr Kenneth Clarke: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of annually indexing the contribution limits for Share Incentive Plans and Save As You Earn plans; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Barclay: In 2014 the government doubled the contribution limits for the Share Incentive Plans and Save As You Earn schemes from £250 to £500 per month. There are no current plans to change these limits. The government keeps all areas of the tax system under review.

Employee Ownership

James Duddridge: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will review the operation of employee share ownership plans to identify measures to improve and simplify the administration of such schemes.

Stephen Barclay: An Employee Share Ownership Plan provides a company's workforce with an ownership interest in the company. The Government has no immediate plans to change the schemes but continues to keep employee share schemes policy under review.

Cryptocurrencies: Regulation

Sir Greg Knight: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of international efforts to regulate crypto-currencies; and whether his Department has any plans to regulate crypto-currencies in the UK.

Stephen Barclay: The Government has not made a formal assessment of the regulation of cryptocurrencies in other countries, though it is aware that industry has done so (for example https://bravenewcoin.com/news/icos-and-cryptocurrencies-a-rough-guide-to-global-regulation/) and, as with all policy, continues to monitor developments.The Government is currently negotiating amendments to the 4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive that we expect to bring virtual currency exchange platforms and custodian wallet providers into the scope of Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing regulation. This will require such firms to conduct due diligence upon their customers, with their activities being overseen by national competent authorities for these areas. The government supports the intention behind these amendments. We expect these negotiations to conclude at EU level in late 2017/early 2018.

Treasury: Brexit

Matthew Pennycook: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the additional funding required by (a) his Department and (b) HM Revenue and Customs) over the next two years to prepare effectively for the UK leaving the EU.

Elizabeth Truss: As announced at Autumn Budget 2017, HMT is making £3 billion of additional funding available over the next two years - £1.5 billion in both 18/19 and 19/20 – so that departments and the Devolved Administrations can continue to prepare effectively for Brexit. HMT is working to understand what each department needs to prepare effectively, and what additional funding should be supplied – HM Treasury will aim to agree 2018/19 allocations in early 2018. Departments’ funding requirements for 19/20 will be affected by progress in negotiations with the EU and will therefore be decided at a later date. Additional funding received from the Reserve will be set out at Supplementary Estimates in the usual way.

Employee Ownership: Taxation

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to bring forward proposals for a de minimis tax exemption on residual cash balances held in the Share Incentive Plans of employees who terminate participation in such schemes.

Stephen Barclay: Share Incentive Plans provide companies with flexibility to meet their business needs regarding employee ownership. The Government continues to keep employee share schemes policy under review.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Trade Agreements

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2017 to Question 112323, on trade agreements, how many of the organisations listed in that Answer have made representations to him on the priority given by the Government to a trade deal with the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: Negotiating a comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU, greater in scope than any such agreement before, is a priority for the Government as we leave the EU. Stakeholder engagement is a central element of our plan to build a national consensus around our negotiating position. We continue to engage with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy, in order to inform our negotiations with the EU. The Government is committed to the best possible deal for the United Kingdom - a deal that works for the entirety of the UK economy.

Brexit: Impact Assessments

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what guidance his Department provided to other Government departments on what information they should retain or redact in the impact assessments they were providing on the UK leaving the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker: Our analysis is not, nor has it ever been, a series of sectoral impact assessments examining the quantitative impact of Brexit. In order to meet the motion of 1st November, we have taken time to bring together the sectoral analyses in a way that is accessible and informative to the Committee. We have provided a vast amount of factual information to help the Committees in their scrutiny whilst respecting our overriding duty to the national interest. Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed in a motion in December 2016, not to release information that would undermine our negotiating position. As such, the sectoral reports do not contain material that we judge would undermine the UK’s hand in the negotiations, or material that is commercially or market sensitive.

Brexit: Impact Assessments

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, who made the determination that it was not in the public interest to retain in the sectoral analyses the information that has been redacted from them; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker: In order to meet the motion of 1st November, we have taken time to bring together the sectoral analyses in a way that is accessible and informative to the Committee. We have provided a vast amount of factual information to help the Committees in their scrutiny whilst respecting our overriding duty to the national interest. Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would undermine our negotiating position. As such, the sectoral reports do not contain material that we judge would undermine the UK’s hand in the negotiations, or material that is commercially or market sensitive.

Department of Health

Health Services: Dementia

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure there are adequate numbers of NHS staff to care for people with dementia and what estimate he has made of the number of staff that will be required in each of the next 5 years

Jackie Doyle-Price: Given the range of professions which might support a person with dementia, which includes therapists, general practitioners, consultants, psychiatrists, and social care staff, we have not made any central estimates of the number of staff that will be required to care for people with dementia in the next five years. At a national level, we have published a Dementia Core Skills Education and Training Framework, launched in October 2015, to help ensure staff have the right skills. The Framework was commissioned and funded by the Department and developed by Skills for Health and Health Education England (HEE) in partnership with Skills for Care. Development of the framework was guided by an Expert Group including a wide range of health and social care organisations, relevant Royal Colleges and education providers. The Framework sets out the core skills and knowledge which would be transferable and applicable across different types of service provision for people with dementia. It includes expected learning outcomes for training delivery, key policy and legal references and is aligned to related national occupational standards. The Framework is intended to ensure the quality and consistency of dementia training, and to help prevent unnecessary duplication of training. Under the Government’s mandate to HEE, HEE will ensure that Tier 1 (awareness raising) dementia training opportunities and tools are available to all National Health Service staff by the end of 2018. Within the Government’s Dementia 2020 Challenge we are considering how to extend tier 2 training to all staff across health and care settings who are involved in care for people with dementia.

Health Services: Pharmacy

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) GP appointments and (b) A&E admissions that could have been treated by a pharmacy in 2016.

Steve Brine: The Department does not hold an estimate of this for this timeframe.

Department of Health: Brexit

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate he has made of the additional funding required by his Department over the next two years to prepare effectively for the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Philip Dunne: As announced at Autumn Budget 2017, HM Treasury is making £3 billion of additional funding available over the next two years - £1.5 billion in both 2018/19 and 2019/20 – so that departments and the devolved administrations can continue to prepare effectively for Brexit. We are currently working with HM Treasury and Department for Exiting the European Union to establish what we need to prepare effectively, and what additional funding should be supplied – HM Treasury will aim to agree 2018/19 allocations in early 2018. Funding requirements for 2019/20 will be affected by progress in negotiations with the EU and will therefore be decided at a later date. Additional funding received from the Reserve will be set out at Supplementary Estimates in the usual way.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Emergency Care Improvement Programme team is taking to improve patient flow and urgent care services at Oxford University Hospital's NHS Foundation in winter 2017.

Mr Philip Dunne: Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was included in the Emergency Care Improvement Programme (ECIP) in October 2017. Since then, ECIP have undertaken a range of actions with the Trust including: - A gap analysis to improve patient flow with a written report including recommendations; - Identification of five key areas for improvement, supported by ECIP; - A specific mental health review, as identified through the initial gap analysis; and - The support of an ECIP improvement manager for two days each week. Support in these areas is expected to be provided throughout winter 2017-18.

NHS: Migrant Workers

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the recent fall in EU immigration on trends in NHS recruitment during Winter 2017.

Mr Philip Dunne: The latest data available from NHS Digital shows as at June 2017 there was an increase of over 5% in the number of EU27 nationals employed in NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups compared with June 2016. Ensuring appropriate staffing over winter is essential. NHS England and NHS Improvement have worked with the National Health Service to ensure that plans are in place to meet the demands put on the service. This includes necessary staffing levels. As announced in the Autumn Budget, an extra £335 million, on top of the previously announced £100 million will be provided to relieve pressure on accident and emergency departments. An additional £1 billion of funding will be spent on meeting adult social care needs, supporting the social care market and reducing pressure on the NHS this year.

NHS Trusts

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps is he taking to ensure that NHS Trusts provide value for money.

Mr Philip Dunne: One of the seven key principles in the NHS Constitution is the commitment to providing the most effective, fair and sustainable use of finite resources. NHS Improvement’s Single Oversight Framework (SOF) sets out how NHS Improvement oversee National Health Service trusts and NHS foundation trusts. The framework helps determine where providers may benefit from, or require, improvement support if they are to meet the standards expected of them in a safe and sustainable way. Under the SOF, NHS Improvement oversee and support providers in improving financial sustainability, efficiency and value for money. NHS Improvement also consider how efficiently a provider uses its resources more broadly, and how financially sustainable it is over the longer term.

NHS Trusts

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to ensure that NHS Trusts are not over-charged by private sector contractors and suppliers.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS Trusts are required to review their procurement contracts with independent providers at periodic intervals.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department has taken a number of steps to ensure National Health Service trusts are not over-charged by private sector contractors and suppliers. The Department maintains standard NHS Terms and Conditions for NHS trusts to use when procuring goods and services. They are published on the GOV.UK website:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-standard-terms-and-conditions-of-contract-for-the-purchase-of-goods-and-supply-of-servicesIn addition, the Department has developed a full suite of tools and templates, including Invitation to Tender (ITT) documentation for NHS trusts to use when entering into contracts with suppliers. The Commercial Schedule within the ITT documentation includes a pricing model and connected questions, which enable NHS trusts to understand supplier pricing. The tools and templates are underpinned by an NHS Guide to Procurement. This provides guidance on drafting an effective specification, setting evaluation criteria in line with the principle of ‘most economical advantageous tender’, and devising a robust pricing model (for use when the template provided is not appropriate for the procurement). By using the standard NHS Terms and Conditions, the NHS Guide to Procurement and the suite of tools and templates, NHS trusts can ensure suppliers submit competitive tenders. Additionally, NHS trusts are also encouraged to use frameworks, such as those procured on behalf of Government by the Crown Commercial Service, enabling them to benefit from consolidated buying arrangements. The NHS Terms and Conditions guidance document accompanies the NHS Terms and Conditions. Through this guidance document, the Department advises NHS trusts to include in the specification, general requirements as well as key areas such as key performance indicators and conducting periodic contract review meetings to review contractor performance.

Ambulance Services

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many fatalities have occurred when patients were (a) waiting for an ambulance to arrive and (b) in transit to a health facility, broken down by Ambulance Trust, for each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr Philip Dunne: The data is not held centrally.

Mental Health Services: Nurses

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to increase take-up of mental health specialty nursing training.

Mr Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 November 2017 to Question 112851.

Department of Health: ICT

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether electronic communications from hon. Members to Ministers of his Department are passed through any third parties before they reach their recipient.

Mr Philip Dunne: Electronic communications from hon. Members to Ministers of the Department are not passed through any external third parties. Emails from hon. Members are managed by the Department’s ministerial correspondence unit.

Women and Equalities

Disability: Bullying

Chris Elmore: To ask the Women & Equalities Minister, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues about the scale of bullying of disabled people.

Nick Gibb: Government responsibility for disability matters resides with the Office of Disability Issues within the Department for Work and Pensions. My Rt hon. Friend, the Minister for Women and Equalities, has not had specific discussions with cabinet colleagues on the scale of bullying of disabled people. The Government does not tolerate bullying in any form and any sector of our society. Under the Equality Act 2010, ‘unwanted or prohibited conduct’ related to a protected characteristic (including disability) that violates an individual’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them, is unlawful. Bullying behaviour may also, in some circumstances, be proscribed by the victimisation provisions of the Act. The Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) record the number of calls they receive about harassment and victimisation of disabled people. They reported that between 1 October 2016, when the current EASS contract started, and 31 October 2017 there were 590 contacts from disabled people about harassment or victimisation, out of a total of 11,817 disability-related calls.